Coriander powder (Dhaniya Powder) - 1 tablespoon.Vaer Masala - 1 teaspoon (if available).Black Cardamom/ Badi Elaichi - 1 crushed.She cooks the dish in the most subtle and balanced way possible. Sadhu shares the recipe from her kitchen where she cooks Rajma as it has been done for years in Kashmiri Pandit community. Hing (asafoetida) has a special place and sourcing the best Hing is a family occupation. Mrs. Cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and whole pepper are used. So there is turmeric paneer, or turmeric mutton and even turmeric radish…turmeric rules this dish,” says Mrs. Vegetables are cooked with whole spices, or tamarind paste or turmeric “where the herb or spice or flavouring agent is the hero. Our curries are curd-based and flavoured with fennel seed powder,” says Nalini Moti Sadhu, the Chef/Curator at Matamaal Restaurants. “People are baffled when they hear this, they ask us how we make your gravies. Kashmiri pandits traditionally don’t use onions and garlic, and tomatoes are rare. This spicy version gained popularity in no time as the ingredients were easily available but there is one recipe which was kept guarded and intact over years by the Kashmiri Pandits. These beans are boiled after soaking overnight later cooked in an onion-tomato based spicy gravy which is paired with rice and topped with papad, sliced onions, anardana chutney and pickled chillies. Rajma from Jammu is the most sought after due the same reason. From the alleys of Jammu, where Rajma and rice is available in abundance for locals and tourists to gobble up, to the Highways in Punjab, Rajma finds its place on the best sellers.ĭespite all the recipe variants, the creamy and smooth texture remains the characteristic which makes or breaks the dish. It's not hard to find a plate of Rajma chawal (rice) in any canteen, cafeteria or public dining mess in cities. Rajma (Kidney beans) is one such core ingredient which is cooked in every Indian household across the world with varying flavours and consistency. It's the difference in permutation and combinations of spices and ingredients which gives us so many avatars of the same dish. They want to go there, forget about reality, and see larger than life things - where a hero could punch 100 people and do stuff like that,” she says (laughs).The beauty of Indian cuisine lies in the diverse culture and the regional variations in climate, terrain, palate and cooking techniques. The audience doesn’t want to see reality in cinema. “For the longest time, cinema has been the mode of escapism. If they don’t get a sense of star value, they aren’t convinced,” says Leena, who states that the reason behind this mindset is because of the kind of films that Bollywood has been churning out for years. But, getting them to the theatre is the problem. “The most interesting thing is that if people go, more often than not, they appreciate it.
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However, the filmmaker also believes that there are takers for offbeat films, too. And I believe it will take time for that mindset to change,” says Leena. “Films often work because of stars and that’s what we have been used to. While all her films earned their due share of critically acclaim, Leena feels that to strike a chord with the masses, serving a commercial entertainer is vital and challenging, too.
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Filmmaker Leena Yadav who has directed films such as Shabd (2005), Teen Patti (2010) and Parched (2016) is now busy with her next film, Rajma Chawal starring Rishi Kapoor.